Some readers of the Friend will have heard the two BBC Radio 4 programmes in which Melanie Phillips recently explored the effect that the welfare state has had in what came to be called the work ethic – the idea that not to work is demoralising and even shameful. She interviewed a number of people who were unemployed to see how they were ‘getting by’ and how they felt about being workless.

Melanie Phillips discovered that the reasons for, and attitudes to, being jobless varied widely. One young man with dependants had gone on numerous training courses but seemed content to live on state benefits until a job that he could ‘enjoy’ presented itself. However, others were anxious to come off the dole – while many immigrants, coming from different cultures, preferred to work long hours for low pay to maintain their self-respect.

Winners from the shake-up would be low-earning households working part-time

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